Janelle Santos’ trek to a four-island nation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean began when she saw a notice in the Eisenhower Public Library in Harwood Heights. “I found myself intrigued,” she said. “Here was an opportunity to help promote world peace and friendship.” For 32 months, Janelle Santos faced constant 86-degree days and a lot of rain without benefit of electricity, gas or hot water.
The Harwood Heights resident returned May 13 from Pohnpei, Micronesia, after serving as a member of the Peace Corps. The population of the island is 35,000. “Technically, I was in the federal states of Micronesia, a really small island nation,” she said. “I was an (English as a second language) teacher and community development teacher. “I taught high school kids how to read and write English.” In return, the residents of Pohnpei taught Santos to speak Pohnpeian.
Living as the residents live gave Santos the opportunity to become part of community, learning language and the crucial components of their culture. Her favorite part was the traditional feast, called Kamadipw. “It’s a huge party where everyone goes to the nahs, the community house, and celebrates the local leaders,” she said. “Everyone brings a plate of food. There’s ceremonial drink called sakau, more widely known as kava, and they slaughter pigs. And they dance.”
Santos said she learned a lot about herself while in Pohnpei. “I learned about perseverance, commitment,” she said. “And I learned to love and appreciate the people of Pohnpei. She becomes wistful thinking of her days in Micronesia. “I was lucky to have my own room,” she said. “I had a mattress, but not much in the way of utilities. “There was no hot water, but it was great. It’s all part of the learning experience. “And I will never forget the welcoming warmth of the Pohnpeian people.”
Santos graduated from Pennoyer Elementary School, Maine South High School and Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington, where she earned degrees in international studies and sociology. Santos now attends the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign working on her doctoral degree in social work.
